About Aloud

At Aloud our mission is to engage each new generation of young people across Wales with the power of choral singing and through this activity to promote self-belief and self-confidence, to encourage aspiration, to build skills and to develop a sense of community. Founded by Artistic Director Tim Rhys-Evans MBE, we believe in encouraging young people to find their own way and to make their own mark, using choral singing as a catalyst to effect positive change in their lives.

Only Boys Aloud made their first appearance at the opening of the National Eisteddfod in Ebbw Vale in 2010: we now have more than 200 teenage boys in 14 choirs across Wales who meet weekly at their local venue and come together for full rehearsals and concerts. Recently, the boys have launched a cruise ship, sung at Downing Street, performed the opening song for Sport Relief on BBC1 and headlined their own 5th Birthday Concert at the Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff. Equally importantly they have performed in their own communities, offering support to local fundraising initiatives and causes which resonate with them.

Our boys make new friends, learn new skills and are bursting with a sense of fun, pride and confidence: “Only Boys Aloud has been life-changing for me. It has given me a direction in life and has given me the confidence to believe in myself and realise nothing is impossible and there are opportunities out there for every kind of person from all types of backgrounds”

Only Kids Aloud is for children aged between 8-13. Early projects included singing workshops in primary schools, and more recently a partnership with Wales Millennium Centre has seen the creation of the WMC/OKA National Children’s chorus: the choir has performed with Bryn Terfel on stage in Cape Town and Cardiff; they’ve appeared in the CBeebies’ pantomine – viewed by almost a million children across the UK – and sung Mahler with Gergiev in St Petersburg. The Aloud partnership with WMC also saw the launch of a nationwide primary schools project – The Land of Song, which in June 2016 brought almost 4,500 primary children together in venues across Wales to sing together in a celebration of the life and work of Roald Dahl.

Principal Business Sponsor - Principality

Principality Building Society have been with us, holding our hands, since before day one – before there was a single member in OBA, Principality were there with their unwavering support and belief in what we wanted to do. Principality have never been just a logo on a poster or website, we are partners in the true sense of the word. When an arts organisation engages with a business that really ‘gets’ what they do, the results are meaningful and easy to achieve. I look forward to our monthly meetings and finding creative ways that benefit both Principality and Aloud. In short, without Principality, there wouldn’t be an Aloud Charity!
Tim Rhys-Evans MBE, Artistic Director